Halloween 2011 and LPR's Issues Etc.

As a follow up to my Halloween article found here:

 http://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2010/10/all-sacralists-eve.html

This audio link might be of interest....

http://issuesetc.org/2011/10/28/issues-etc-encore-christians-and-halloween-with-gretchen-passantino-10282011/

Hardly in agreement with my position, this Conservative Lutheran programme exhibits some of the classic modes of Sacralist thinking when it comes to issues like this. They're not necessarily pushing the Christian version of Halloween, but they're not exactly refuting it either.

Either way the agenda is to find a way to redeem it, make it Holy... and because society is doing it, we are compelled to somehow participate. Anything else would be Retreatism.

Dominionism: Part 4

Establishment, Dissent, Social Gospel and The Golden Age

Is the Kingdom of God manifested in temporal, geographical, and cultural terms? Through our labours can we make this a reality?

Some argue…yes, but that will be in the future when Christ returns and establishes a temporal, geo-political Kingdom based in Jerusalem which will last for 1000 years. At least the adherents of this Premillennial vision of a physical Kingdom don’t believe it comes about through human endeavours.

Dominionists, Transformationalists, Constantinians, Postmillennialists…all nuances of the same Kingdom-vision, believe more or less this can be done now.

Dominionism, Sacral Transformation, Elitism, and the Unassailable Philosophical Wall: Part 3

The Medieval Manichee, the Modern Liberal, Monism and Pluralism

According to Kuyper, Christ declares, 'Every square inch is mine'......our job is to make this a reality.

The reality of life in a fallen world...accepting that some things won't ever be perfect and that some questions don't have good solutions.....is not acceptable. Every cultural question must have an answer and everything is now cast in strict moral categories. Pragmatism is not allowed. Everything is ideological and since so many of these areas of culture are shaped by law and power...everything ultimately becomes political.

Interestingly Marxists have understood this principle as well...they just have a different solution, but they frame it in very similar ways.

Dominionism, Sacral Transformation, Elitism, and the Unassailable Philosophical Wall: Part 2

Christo-Americanism the foundation of Dominionist Cooperation

In the United States the final straw was the decade of the 1960's. Sweeping legislative and social changes left conservative Protestants (loosely labeled Evangelicals) in a state of shock. Men like Francis Schaeffer stepped into the gap and began to re-teach many things that had been forgotten and even frowned upon from the glory days of old Christendom. Even as late as the 1980's, the Middle Ages were frowned upon as...a spiritual Dark Age. But to Dominionists like Schaeffer, the Middle Ages were an almost-glory, a period of Ecclesiastical triumph, clouded not by the cultural hegemony and holocaust of Roman Catholicism, but simply by Rome's lack of understanding regarding Justification by Faith Alone. If Rome had retained the Protestant formulation, then more or less, all would have been well. If this vision wasn't re-captured and all of modern life evaluated in light of it...the Church would fall to its great enemy, Secular Humanism.

A note regarding the new series and the approaching holy-day

As I'm getting back to writing I'm publishing a series on you guessed it...Dominionism.

There's nothing terribly new with this. I'm largely revisiting many of the same issues. Why am I doing this? It's a multifaceted issue and it's helpful to continue to review it, examining it from different angles. Certain approaches resonate with some folks more than others. For some it takes multiple angles to slowly put it together. Some readers already see this complex of theological ideas for what it is. Others are still struggling with the error, and yet others haven't quite put it together yet. They see some of it, but it hasn't hit them yet. So...I'll keep writing.

I've got pages of notes, in fact pages of article topics that I want to dive into. God willing we shall do so. Things are starting to slow down a bit and now I can turn back to writing. I miss it.

Since we're nearing the time of All Saint's Eve, I thought I would post the link to my Halloween post from last year. For those who weren't reading this weblog last October I touch on the fact that there are some who flee Halloween because of their view of the Kingdom in relation to culture and some who feel it must be conquered for Christ and have thus tried in earnest to label it Christian. Both approaches are wrong.

And for the many churches who celebrate Halloween masquerading as Reformation Day...they're only deceiving themselves.

http://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2010/10/all-sacralists-eve.html

Dominionism, Sacral Transformation, Elitism, and the Unassailable Philosophical Wall: Part 1

Rule, Reign, and Transformation

Many have heard of Francis Schaeffer and perhaps have seen his movie How Should We Then Live? In it he traces the decline of Western Civilization and attempts to motivate his audience to think about these larger cultural issues. Schaeffer was a key architect of the early Anti-abortion and Christian Right movements.  Maybe architect isn't the right word. He provided inspiration and helped formulate some of the basic concepts. Others like Falwell and some of the wealthy and less known backers helped get the political wing moving.

2 October 2011 Update

My apologies to all....

I hope to return soon. I have some stuff just sitting there that I haven't re-read in order to publish. This Summer has been an adventure.

I've worked more hours and made more money than ever before....but we feel like we're broke...struggling to pay the bills.

It's largely inflation...it's crushing us. Thankfully I can raise my rates, something others do not have the power to do.

Sadly, it has meant some LONG hours. I get home later and then spend time on the phone and in my office working on plans and bids. I've got notes for many articles, some which probably won't get written.

Also, Summer is a time to try and get outside. It's a time of lawn mowing, garden tending, bicycle rides, hiking, and sadly this year only one backpacking trip....an excellent inexpensive hobby.

But today Autumn is here in full force. It's about 4C/40F here and pouring rain. The time for longer hours inside is returning and DV (Deo Volente) more time for writing.

Building the Kingdom through residential architecture?

Here’s a Colson commentary from the other day. It’s a great illustration of how these folks think. It clearly displays the assumptions of Dominionist thought and hints at the frightening extent to which these people would flex their muscles if given unlimited power. This can be seen clearly even when it comes to a seemingly innocuous topic like residential architecture.

Here’s the link to the original post and my comments are interspersed below.

Michele Bachmann and Dominionism

Here’s the transcript of an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air Programme from a couple of days ago. It is rather interesting and illustrative because it demonstrates how Dominionism has crept into the American political scene. Does Michele Bachmann know who Abraham Kuyper is? Probably not…but his theology is shaping her and the entire contemporary political debate.

Sacralism and the state of things Part 4

High Places, apostasy, and no Reformation on the horizon...but it might be a good thing, if we reckon things as God does.

 TD Gordon, a man I respect and often agree with (though he might not reciprocate) spoke years ago about the fact that the cultural climate in Europe just prior to the Reformation helped usher in that era of reform. Now I don't get excited anymore about the Reformation, but I can appreciate his point. The revival of learning generated at the end of the Middle Ages and the new learning (both good and bad) brought about by the Renaissance helped prepare the way for the Reformation. People were reading books printed on the newly invented printing press, and there was a revival of interest in the classics and a desire to question the Medieval way of understanding things.

While we have new and exciting technological innovations in our day that seem to be conducive to an even greater period of learning and investigation...the reality is... it's not happening.

People (at least in America) seem to be more uninformed and undiscerning as ever. In another post I mentioned how I was startled to talk to a professing Christian college student who didn't even know what the Berlin Wall was, nor had ever heard of the Cold War. She knew all about the Casey Anthony trial but had never heard of the Iranian Revolution.

Sacralism and the state of things Part 3: Dominionist Economics and Empire, the Cold War, The War on Terror, its implications for the Church and society.

So what to do?

I'll admit, it's a bit discouraging when I look at the contemporary ecclesiastical scene. I'm even discouraged looking at the news. They should be unrelated, but they're not....

Camouflaged Sacralism

While it may sound strange to some, we attend an annual event near our home. It's a World War II re-enactment. I'm not into re-enactors too much. I have no desire to do it, but sometimes it can be interesting. I like to get my children out and have them experience things. I'm not afraid to push them a bit as long as I'm there holding their hand. We talk about it. I don't believe in a libertine go with the flow mentality, but I also don't agree with the shelter and hide approach.

Sacralism and the state of things Part 2- Of course the Norway killer was a Christian...at least the way Sacralism defines it

There are strong Romantic sentiments reigning within Christian circles today. They glory in the heritage of Christendom, the West.

Upon closer examination they would truly find that much of what they love is really not ancient but only as old as the 19th century. And the 'Christian' culture they venerate was naught but a veneer and one easily broken in the 20th century by a variety of forces. The 21st century is proving to be an era of payback and backlash. The people (the lost) who for so long were oppressed by this power...which both secularism and Sacralism wrongly define as Christian... are rising up and we're entering into an era of retribution and reprisal. Obviously the homosexuals are leading the charge at the moment. It will pass, but not anytime soon.

Anti-Wisdom Part 2

 The issues at hand:

Transformationalism Politicizes the Gospel, leading to agenda-driven thought, and often a complete rejection of genuine discussion and investigation. Is this wisdom applied or utter moral foolishness?

Does Dominion-driven Worldview teaching promote Christian wisdom in this world? If it's a false theology is it even promoting a Christian Worldview at all?

Is the true Biblical Worldview something for regenerate believers or something for societal transformation?

These are some questions to keep in mind as you read through these posts. These are key questions I'm continually asking as I interact with what I believe to be a erroneous theology, a false system masquerading as Christianity.

So continuing the previous discussion, how can we be wise, and does Christian wisdom mean all issues are reduced to simple categories?

Constantinianism and the state of things--- Westernism, Sacralism's Deadly Third Category, Francis Schaeffer and why we don't need to save Leonardo.

First, a quick revisit of some basic concepts....

As we've stated many times, Sacralism redefines Christianity. Biblically we can speak in terms of the individual being redeemed and joined to Christ. We can speak of the collective body of Christians....the Church of Jesus Christ....His body.

Sacralism adds a third extra-Biblical category, that of Christian nation, culture, or civilization. Of course the Bible speaks in terms of a Christian nation, but this is applicable to the Church, the Kingdom of Priests.

Nowhere do we find any notion of a nation entering into covenant with the Almighty. The one exception to this, Old Testament Israel was initiated by God and He set the terms of their covenant relationship. Moab, Edom, Babylon...none of these nations could become Yahwist or Jehovah-ite nations. If they wanted to convert.....they became Jews, which meant abandoning their nations and entering into the fold of the covenant people. They didn't transform their nation into Judeo-covenantal states, they left their nations and became Jews.

In the New Testament the holy nation, the Israel of God (Galatians 6.16) is the Church composed of all nations and peoples. They retain their earthly citizenship but enter into and participate in the heavenly kingdom.

Sacralism adds an additional tier (a supra-collective category) that cannot be located or extrapolated from Scripture. It is derived from philosophical speculation stemming from a wrong theological method and a grave misunderstanding of the Kingdom if not the entire message of the New Covenant.

A note on the glossary entries

The previous four posts are simply definitions that are being linked in the glossary. It's not my intention to invent wild sounding and super technical sounding terminologies. We're talking about complex and nuanced concepts that are hard to explain in a few paragraphs and even harder to reduce to one term. Many of these overlap and are variations of some of the same recurring theological themes. Not everyone will be interested in these concepts, and that's fine. But some will be, and as I said, they regularly recur in these writings. This way...for my sake, I can refer someone in a comment to the glossary or even allude to it in a quick post.

For years my close friends and I have employed these concepts in our discussions...usually by referring to this or that 'thing,' but that's not very helpful to people reading these posts. If I said, 'you know...how Catholics do that thing with the visible church...'

It would mean something to a few people, but most readers would have no idea. These somewhat painful glossary entries are an attempt to at least categorize some of these concepts. I worked on these last night and realized they’re too long to place in the glossary itself, so I’m putting them up as posts and linking them from the glossary.

So if you're interested, by all means. If not, then just ignore them. They're just part of the resource/reference sections for the blog.

Glossary Links- Perspectival Soteriology

Perspectival Soteriology

Others use the term Perspectivalism, and I'm certainly not advocating their theological position, but it's not entirely without validity. While I don't accept the oft used Triads and other perspective-'frame'-works, I do acknowledge that a concept of perspective helps us to make sense of passages of Scripture and concepts that seem to conflict.

Glossary Links- Hyper-Eschatologized Ecclesiology

Hyper-Eschatologized Ecclesiology and its symptom or fruit...Ecclesiastical Apathy-

These are high sounding terms for a concept that's really not too difficult. This phenomenon occurs in several different traditions and factions and yet it certainly is not enshrined in any confession.

Glossary Links- Hermeneutical Compression and the Analogy of Scripture

Hermeneutical Compression-

This is but another way of describing one or some of the various nuances that result from theological systemic thought and commitments when applied to Revelation.

Glossary Links- Sacralist Collective

 

Sacralist Collective-

The Bible deals with individuals and a collective body... the Church. The Church of course can be viewed in terms of local congregations or broadly speaking as the Church Militant (here on earth) and the Church Triumphant (the Eschatological Church). But to simplify, the Bible deals with individuals and the various categorical modes of the Church.

 Sacralism adds an additional layer which more or less ends up dominating their theology. This tier could be described as the Cultural or Civilizational layer or stratum. Historically this is referred to as Christendom or even sometimes placed within the broader category of Western Civilization. Nowhere does the Bible speak of Christian cultures or nations that are somehow sanctified and structured according to covenantal directives. This concept is derived and driven by philosophical necessity stemming from some basic theological foundations. The argument here is that this concept is not only flawed and un-Biblical, but quite destructive. Much of the contemporary language concerning Dominion and Worldview stems from this assumption. In addition this false premise establishes the framework for the so-called Biblical view of the arts, sciences, etc... views not derived from Scripture, but from philosophical deduction.

Returning Soon.......

I'm still here....though I haven't been online much lately.

Thanks for the recent comments and handful of emails. God willing I'll be getting back to everyone soon....and publishing new posts.

In the meantime I've been pleased to see people have been perusing some of the older posts.

Should Christians 'proudly hail' an Imperial Symbol?

Here's an interesting blog post with accompanying links. Some of you will be aware of the controversy surrounding Goshen College in Indiana and the National Anthem.

As Mennonites they have eschewed playing it at their public events, but about a year ago they caved and started playing 'The Star Spangled Banner'... though many protested it.

Recently they reversed their policy again. It's interesting that there are still Mennonites who care deeply about this issue. They're hardly America-haters, but they seem to grasp the salient issue even though for many it is one clouded by emotional attachments. As the blogger points out the comments at the respective links are revealing. Apparently we are surrounded by many intellectual and spiritual cousins to Sarah Palin.

A Benefit for the Acholi of Uganda

And a general exhortation regarding Africa past and present.

For those who might be somewhere near Ohio on 12 June, there’s a worthwhile event taking place.


I tried to include some of the pictures but I'm afraid the Google Blogger programme didn't want to cooperate. I'm sure there's a way, but I'm not enough of a computer guy to know how to do it.

This is a benefit to aid some folks in Uganda. Africa is a pretty confusing place for most people, in fact so daunting that most people don't even try to understand it. We should.

Memorial Day 2011

I’ve remarked before how American Evangelicalism is increasingly embracing the Liturgical Calendar with Lent (not to mention Passover) and other Judaizing and Paganizing practices which most Protestants historically rejected.


Of course the American church tends to cast these things in its own narcissistic way, and certainly we’ve developed what might be called the Patriotic Season in the American church. Starting with Memorial Day, this new season extends through Flag Day, Independence Day, and might even be stretched to September 11.

The Moral and Metaphysical Foundations of Anti-Wisdom- Part 1

While Paul certainly exhorts us to eschew the wisdom of the world, what exactly does that mean? It can mean a lot of different things, but primarily in the context of the New Testament it seems to represent a thought process, a working out of knowledge that excludes God from the equation. More particularly it excludes the image of God in the person of Christ Jesus. If Humanism declares man is the measure of all things, this indeed is a perfect declaration of worldly and fleshly wisdom in its denial of our Lord Christ who IS Wisdom.

Paul also talks about the power of the gospel and how it was not only unnecessary but theologically erroneous to think the Word was in need of supplement. He didn't need gimmicks or flowery persuasive rhetoric for the gospel to work. The Word was not benefitted by accommodating it to the culture, nor was it more effective when preliminary conditions were met, i.e. the hearer being softened by emotional stories, music, etc…

In terms of the gospel, because it is Divine in origin, it an expression of the power and holiness of Almighty God and only a fool would think he could improve on it and only unbelief would assume it needs human-generated assistance.

Hyper-Solafideism Part 6- Two forms of the Law/Gospel Hermeneutic

 This also brings us to what is often called the Law/Gospel hermeneutic. As we've discussed, there are several dynamics at work in how the Old and New Testament relate to each other.

There is an overarching unity in substance...Salvation by Grace through Faith Alone rooted in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Everyone from Adam to now was saved the same way regardless of their chronological placement. The Eternal Covenant and Jesus Christ are inseparable and form the basis of the Unity.

Hyper-Solafideism Part 5- Vosian Hyper-Eschatology, Federal Vision's Bestial Agenda, and a few observations regarding the Lutheran Legacy

Thus far I have been in agreement with the Vosian crowd rejection of the Federal Vision understanding of Redemptive-History. But at this point I switch sides. Unlike the Federal Vision folks I certainly affirm the concept of merit, that Christ's Active Obedience helped to pay for our sins and I wholeheartedly agree with the Garden-Works principle, and the reiteration of this under the Mosaic order in typological form applied to the Corporate body of Israel.

Discerning Discernment Ministries Part 4- An Addendum: Obama, Israel, Christian Media and Strauss-Kahn

Anyone reading this series may think that Obama's speech on 19 May has negated what I've said here regarding Israel. Howse argues that Obama has betrayed Israel and some would argue Obama’s speech vindicates this argument. Certainly this morning (20 May), this is the language being used by the Right. A couple of points.

Hyper-Solafideism Part 4- The Adam problem and conditionality in the contemporary debate

I wish to touch on a few more issues. This series is not very popular. It's not being read by a lot of folks. Either people already decided they don't agree or some may find it unpractical or perhaps too difficult.

At this point this series is being written to those who are familiar with the contemporary debates and have some familiarity with the terms and players. I'm not taking a great deal of time to define some of these things because those interested probably already know and those who don't know the terms probably aren't bothering to read these.

For the handful of folks that aren't familiar and yet are interested, don't hesitate to comment or ask me directly. I'm happy to clarify or suggest resources. If you're interested and want to understand, don't get discouraged.

Someone might say...I don't need to know all this stuff. That's correct. You don't need to know the in's and out's, the little tweaks and nuances, the way the factions have formed up. You don't need to know these things to know God and to trust in Jesus Christ.

That said.....it is important and plays out even if not everyone can see just how. These ideas affect the Church. They have in the past, continue to do so, and will certainly shape the future. And, in my case I want to know and understand. It's not about knowing so we can keep up on the latest thing. Instead as we work through these things, we are driven to Scripture and forced to think it through. Doing this, we come to know our God even better and we can stand in awe as we consider His ways.

Hermeneutical Tea Party

I've mentioned this before but there's a scene in Fiddler on the Roof that always makes me chuckle.

The Ethics of Thuggery and Murder- John Ashcroft and Blackwater

Pardon the somewhat bitter tone……..

Some are apparently surprised by this, but I'm not. Apparently John Ashcroft, the Evangelical and former Attorney General who is also famous for losing an election to someone who was dead...is now the 'Ethics' advisor for Xe, the notorious company formerly known as Blackwater.

You would be hard pressed to find a company more universally reviled than Blackwater. To many especially in Iraq and Afghanistan they are nothing less than murderous thugs...and that's being nice. Of course they seem to benefit from quite a bit of support within the American Christian community. Blackwater's founder Erik Prince is president of a foundation that has donated large sums of money to the lobbyist Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, the Alliance Defense Fund, and Calvin College.

Compromised of ex-military soldier-of-fortune types, usually a pretty crude lot, the leadership is nevertheless intimately tied in with some of the power circles of American Evangelicalism. In fact, at times they have marketed themselves as some sort of Christian fighting force. Their latest endeavour can be read about here.

Dominionist Confusion- An Interaction with Iron Ink

Theonomist Bret McAtee's (IronInk) recent article, another critique of Two Kingdom theology provides a good opportunity to demonstrate why they can't seem to grasp what we're saying.

Discerning Discernment Ministries- Part 3

updated 5 Oct 2011- I removed a factual error I made regarding the Department of Education. It was started under Carter, not Reagan...but that's hardly the end of the story.- proto


Howse:

Romans 1 clearly states that a nation that rejects God over and over will suffer five specific consequences and America is experiencing all of these now.

Romans 1:21-32

1. A Nation of Fools: V. 21-22

This verse declares that a nation that rejects God over and over will become vain, useless, futile or foolish in their thinking. Despite claiming to be so wise and so smart, the nation will become so foolish in their thinking that they will succumb to spiritual deception and accept spiritual lies and false teaching.

The Politics of the Bin Laden Raid- A few observations

1. Obama obviously wants to ride this Bin Laden Raid Wave as long as he can. His numbers are poor, he’s been humiliated, and this gives him a significant arrow in the upcoming election. The Republicans can’t accuse him of being soft on terror or national so-called defense.

2. Despite his parading around, I have to give him credit. He’s a class act. He could have made a victory lap speech at Ground Zero. Instead he was pretty dignified about it.

3. It’s interesting that for years Bin Laden was described as merely symbolic but essentially irrelevant. Now that they’ve captured all the materials from his compound, the new story is that he was directly involved in operational matters. How convenient. Pardon my skepticism, but in light of the White House’s complete fumbling of the story, and the way they keep changing it…I am more than a little doubtful regarding this claim. It would seem that by building Bin Laden up, they are

A. Increasing the administration’s prestige in getting him. The old build your enemy up tactic to make yourself look stronger. And,

B. They may be trying to set the stage for a phased exit. The drones will continue to fly and there will be bases, but this may provide the exit opportunity the leadership has been waiting for. If they can make a big enough deal about Bin Laden’s death, they can declare victory and run. They’d probably like to push hard, bomb the Taliban badly and then come to the bargaining table with a strong hand, but the Pakistan situation is so volatile, they can’t push too hard.

Saving Faith, Temporary Faith, and Justification by Faith

Here's a link to the text of a good sermon pertinent to the Hyper-Solafideism discussion. He does well in defining Saving Faith... avoiding Faith without Knowledge (which is mysticism) but also avoiding Faith being defined as mere assent which results in easy believism.

He's dealing with the classic categories of Knowledge, Assent, and Entrustment. Removing any of these gets you into trouble. He covers them briefly but well.